1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to motion actuated connectors and more specifically to connectors useful with systems for moving a storage battery between the use position and a charging station.
2. Background of the Invention
Efficient utilization of battery powered vehicles requires that the battery be removed from the vehicle for charging. In the prior art systems it was conventional practice in removing batteries from vehicles such as fork lift trucks to manually unplug the battery connector from the vehicle, load the battery on a suitable transport mechanism, transport the battery to the charger and manually connect the battery to the charger. Such a procedure was both time consuming and inefficient. For example, such a process required the operator to first position the transport mechanism such that the battery could be removed from the vehicle. With the transport vehicle so positioned, the operator dismounted the transport vehicle and manually disconnected the battery connector. The battery was loaded and transported to the charge station where it was necessary to manually connect the battery to the charger. An inverse sequence of operations was necessary to transport the charged battery from the charging station to the vehicle. In summary, if the task was to be performed by one worker it was necessary for the worker to mount and dismount the transport vehicle at least three times in order to move a battery between the vehicle and a charging station.
3. Discussion of the Prior Art
A prior art search was conducted prior to the preparation of this patent application. The search was concentrated on the location of prior art related to push-pull mechanism useful for mating and unmating electrical connectors used in conjunction with systems using storage batteries and similar electrical power sources.
During the above described search, a wide variety of prior art patents were located, as more specifically discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,355 discloses a connector device specifically designed to disconnect components of rocket vehicles or similar vehicles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,937,636; 4,331,749; 4,637,965 and 3,309,235 illustrate various types of connectors specifically designed for use with storage batteries.
Other electrical connectors not specifically designed for connecting and disconnecting battery operated power sources are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,404; 1,571,222 and 4,534,605.
None of the above-discussed prior patents disclose or suggest the method of operating battery powered systems using the techniques and apparatus disclosed in this patent application.